The teachers also had to get used to the new technology themselves and change their lifelong teaching methods to adapt to the modern way of teaching. The new hardware and software may be more interactive for pupils but it does take time for teachers to master it.

Things can go wrong with technology as well. This can play havoc with lesson planning.

In conclusion, there are many pros and cons with the new methods and the debate will rage on. I would suggest that a happy medium can be embraced between the new technology in the classroom and good old fashioned teaching. We should not neglect reading and text books, but every investment in technology should not replace good teaching and classroom resources.

This area is not just for children and teenagers to brush up on their maths skills, but there are also sections for adult learners, parents and teachers.

You will be able to find brain training exercises and can learn about the following subjects; history, science, maths, food and catering, gardening, IT, languages, English and brush up on your basic skills.

As you can see there is something for everyone on the BBC website. Next time you are looking for something to do, why not try some of the brain tests and sharpen your mind?

You can gain all manner of practical and vocational skills on these courses and these cover all different types of subjects. You can now choose to study for a degree online; either full or part time. In some cases, the costs of these courses can be spread across the course and they can prove to be cheaper in the long-term with no travel costs and the higher costs of physically attending a university or secondary education institution.

Some critics have argued that online learning limits the social interaction between the learner and the classroom, but there is still one to one tuition and personal tutors to make use of and ask questions every step of the way.

The government has been warned that this may happen if it cuts spending on schools and universities during this period of recession. The education study has found that the UK has some of the highest drop-out rates in the world. If investment in education is reduced the UK risks being surpassed by other nations who have copied the UK’s education policies successfully.

Lord Baker was also involved in getting behind the City Technology Colleges network, set up in the late 1980s and which specialised in computing and technology. This helped with the advancement of technology and education.

These latest technical schools will utilise the latest in information technology and give the modern worker the opportunity to learn core skills as well as the practical skills needed to succeed in their chosen profession.

Year upon year more students achieve top grades and this year is no different. Students in Scotland are always the first to receive their results and this summer almost 16,000 students waited for theirs either in the post or via text and email. It was reported that there was yet again an increased percentage in the number of students receiving top grades, with 24% of higher students receiving grade A.

Rather than immediately assuming that the exams must be getting easier I agree with Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Education Secretary when she stated,

the results were a testament to the abilities of Scotland’s youngsters and a cause for optimism in the nation’s economic future

This seems like a sensible idea and the government have already put contingency plans in place just in case this scenario occurs. These contingency plans consist of utilising technology so that children can continue with their education from home. Children may be receiving their homework via email and liaise with their teachers via the internet.

Government officials are keen to point out however that utilising this technology to teach our children is not an alternative to schools and aims to maintain the relationship between schools, parents and children.

Learning via the internet is not a new concept but if these plans do come into effect in September it will be interesting to see if virtual schools work on a large scale. As always, each child is different and it seems to me that some children will return to school up to date with the curriculum while others will return, up to date with the latest computer games and TV programmes.

The costs for the new courses such as technology, science and maths will be paid for in taxes but should have no effect on public finances with the funds coming from pre-existing budgets. Universities have been informed they will have to manage their own admissions and that they can offer higher quality places for students using their own system

Due to the economy and the recession students leaving school are finding getting into work difficult, and the government has been working hard to avoid long term unemployment, putting more youngsters through university is one way to get students qualified and busy till the recession passes.

In the UK there are more than 2 million students in higher education. The universities have supported the government act of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) but are concerned that pushing students to these areas may have an impact on other areas such as social sciences and arts.